Apocalypse Pooh

A recent edition of Canadian film Journal CINEACTION included a piece about an early bootleg video called APOCALYPSE POOH. Though it could be considered a "mashup," the work pre-dates the internet-era. It was circulated on bootlegged VHS tapes, along with other early examples of copyright-violating underground cinema that became possible once video was consumer level.

It has now surfaced on YouTube. As far as I know, the artist is still unidentified.

Migrating Forms 2009

The new incarnation of what was once the NEW YORK UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL is now known as MIGRATING FORMS. The weekend festival takes place this weekend, and in the tradition of the NYUFF, there is a commissioned trailer for the event by one of the artists.

MICHAEL ROBINSON is one of the most heralded young video artists working today, and this clip is one of the rare views of his work available on the web.

Parabolas, etc.

The WNYC program RADIO LAB has consistently been one of the most forward-thinking audio productions, and this foray into filmmaking continues that tradition. Directed by WILL HOFFMAN, this piece recalls the science-inflected films of CHARLES AND RAY EAMES. And the music, from TIM HECKER's underrated RADIO AMOR album, is another example of the program's undisputed curatorial instinct.

The Other Side of Sonic Youth

Sonic Youth, 1992, forever.

The excellent UK-based BOOMKAT recently presented an editorial about SONIC YOUTH on their mixtape-via-record shop recommendation web project called 14 TRACKS, in which they gave a hearty shout out to this early nineties JULES HOLLAND appearance.

Zen for video

Artist CORY ARCANGEL came to prominence with his piece SUPER MARIO CLOUDS, which hacked the original NINTENDO game to remove all game elements save the randomized clouds moving against a plain sky-blue background.

I think I might prefer its companion piece F1 RACER, which removed the cars and the twists and turns from the orignal car race game. (This is apparently the sequel, F2.)

A recent, similarly minded piece, simply called BLUE TUBE, works only when embedded off-site. Behold:

Stay the Same Never Change

Video artist LAUREL NAKADATE developed this feature-length project from short video pieces she was writing. At the New York premier, as part of the NEW DIRECTORS NEW FILMS series, she described that the film really came together after she began collaborating with OWEN ASHWORTH, of the one-man band CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE, who provides the soundtrack.

Both artists concern themselves with teen drama of the realist kind, but Ms. NAKADATE's work has been considerably more transgressive. See more about her artwork below:

Epilepsy is Dancing

This is what happens if an epileptic walks near the WACHOWSKI BROS's warehouse...

The press release accompanying this music video for ANTONY AND THE JOHNSON's current single asks you to "enjoy the fruits" of this "San Francisco art party."

M83 remixes something...

The teen drama-obsessed, (graciously) self-serious French electronica band M83 remixes the song SET IN STONE by electro newcomer FIRES OF ROME, thus highlighting all that is tense and necessary about the song, while leaving the rest behind. (The chorus is ditched in favor of the surreal turns of the verses, now completely out of hiding, and the overstuffed distorted electronic backing is replaced with a minimal piano and strings score.

The dramatic alteration to the song arrives via a "remixed" music video, the entire package of which being appealingly WTF-friendly.